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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27655973">Colourblind</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/verylcvelyindeed/pseuds/verylcvelyindeed'>verylcvelyindeed</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>A Series of Unfortunate Events (TV), A Series of Unfortunate Events - Lemony Snicket</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops &amp; Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, I Will Go Down With This Ship</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 21:16:46</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,184</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27655973</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/verylcvelyindeed/pseuds/verylcvelyindeed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>In a world where everything is black and white till you and your soulmate make physical contact for the first time, Violet Baudelaire has yet to see colour.<br/>-<br/>A little something I wrote almost a year ago :)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Violet Baudelaire &amp; Quigley Quagmire, Violet Baudelaire/Quigley Quagmire</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>23</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Colourblind</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><em>In a world in which everything is black and white till you and your soulmate make physical contact for the first time, Violet Baudelaire has yet to see colour.</em><br/>-<br/>"Hey, Vi, pass the purple folder."<br/>Violet looked up from the part of the project she'd been doing, at her friend who'd nonchalantly asked the question while sticking photos on their poster.<br/>"Lily!" the girl sitting on the bed hissed, casting a quick horrified glance at Violet and then turning her attention back to the asker of the formidable question. Violet's eyes displayed vague hurt, but no other emotion was very easy to detect as she stared at the floor.</p><p>Lily's eyes grew wide as she realised her mistake. "Oh my God- Violet, I'm so sorry, I-"<br/>"It's okay." Violet said softly, but it was far from okay. "I think I'm going to go... I'll do my part at home, okay?"<br/>"I'm sorry, Vi-"<br/>"It's not your fault, Lily - I just need some space. I'll see you around, yeah?" Violet said, not meeting any of their eyes as she gathered her things.<br/>"Let us know if you need anything!" the girl on the bed called sheepishly as Violet left the apartment, and Violet nodded slightly.</p><p>This was a very bad day for such an episode to happen. It was Monday, for instance, which automatically made it the worst day of the week, and she'd been awake until the early hours of the morning the previous night working on an invention, which meant she'd already been groggy when she'd woken up in the morning. Her exhaustion meant she'd moved slower, and she'd missed the bus and had had to run with Klaus and Sunny all the way to school. To top all that off, she'd had to go to Lily's house after school to work on their project, leaving Klaus and Sunny to walk home on their own, something she hated doing, and now this had happened.</p><p><em>"Coffee." </em>her brain screamed.<br/>It was a plausible desire - she had enough money for a cup, and the nearest coffee shop wasn't too far away - yes, she decided, the walk was worth it to soothe her spinning head.</p><p>Black, white, grey - it was all she saw as she walked. Grey trees - the bark was closer to black than the leaves, which were far lighter. Grey sky - it would get darker as night approached, until the city was covered by a blanket of darkness dotted by glistening sparks, one thing she could see as it really was. Judging by how beautiful that alone was in its mere black and white simplicity, she knew the world as a whole was filled with picturesque views and wondrous spectacle - and it gave her chills to live such a bleak, whitewashed existence.</p><p>All her friends could talk about was red this, blue that, as their eyes were, one by one, gradually opened to the wider reality. They tried to be sensitive with her - shut their mouths when she came around, but it really just made her feel worse. Violet, who didn't even know what it felt like to experience the colour she was named after. Oh, the irony.</p><p>There was a story behind that - one she'd been told many a time before her parents had passed. They'd chosen to name their first child after the first colour they'd seen in front of them when they'd met for the first time and the world erupted into colour. They'd been at the theatre - she was performing, he was a spectator, and he'd seen her trip during intermission. He'd reached a hand out to help her up, and the second their fingers had made contact, colour was everywhere. Her dress had been violet that day.</p><p>They both got teary talking about it every time, though Violet wondered if in her mother's case this was partly because she'd left someone she loved for her soulmate. That was something she hadn't known until her parents had passed and her mother had left her her old diary, in which she'd lamented this loss. It was clear her mother had loved her father, but she'd loved this boy too - Lemony. He'd seen colour, and her mother hadn't, and they'd known they weren't meant for each other, but they'd hoped anyway - until the day she broke his heart. It meant he'd spend life alone - he loved, but he couldn't be loved. Violet had since feared she'd end up the same way.</p><p>Still lost in her thoughts, Violet gave her order to the boy at the counter, who seemed to be practically the only one working there for this particular shift. That was okay - it was a slow day, and not many people were seated. The strongest coffee drink they had was all she requested. It didn't really matter to her what she drank at the moment - she felt dull inside, dull like her surroundings. One might find that on a bad morning, the sun shining outside or the blue sky could improve one's mood, even just slightly, but how was it possible to feel lively and joyful when all she saw around her was the opposite?</p><p>"Excuse me, miss, does it matter to you what colour the cup is? We're trained to ask, but, well, I wouldn't really know how to grant your request."<br/>There was a hint of sadness in his voice.<br/>"No - no, it doesn't." Violet snapped, annoyed at another mention of colour. She regretted it almost immediately - he was like her, living in a world blind to beauty and wonder, each day hearing about colours you'd come to believe you'd never see.<br/>"Well, then, you can take a seat and I'll get your drink to you shortly."<br/>She could tell he was struggling to keep the annoyance out of his tone - must've taken a job serving customers because he had to, despite not being suited to it, just as she had, working most nights at the local pizzeria in an attempt to support her siblings - government grants weren't much.</p><p>She too wasn't the best at hospitality - there were times she wanted to scream at the customers on nights they were being particularly insufferable, and instead had to grit her teeth and smile. There were definitely calmer people who were much better at jobs like this, serving customers for hours on end. Violet had utmost respect for them for their patience: she'd much rather be assistant to a mechanic, or even secretary at an office. She wasn't a social butterfly - something that required minimal human interaction would suit her better.</p><p>Violet paid and took a seat at the booth, clasping her hands as she looked around for a clock. She'd have to get back home soon - Klaus was old enough to look after Sunny, but she still didn't like leaving them alone for too long, and she needed to finish the remainder of her part of the project before she had to leave for that night's shift.</p><p>"Here you go." she heard the same voice say, and she looked up to see him placing her drink in front of her. "Thanks." she said, taking a sip and instantly grimacing at what hit her tongue. It was <em>weak</em> - she hadn't known it was <em>possible</em> for it to be that weak. She felt herself get annoyed again - all she'd wanted was a decent cup of coffee to improve the awful day she'd been having, and of course this had to go wrong too.</p><p>"Excuse me?"<br/>The boy turned around, looking at her expectantly.<br/>"I think you've gotten my order wrong."<br/>"You requested the strongest coffee drink we have, miss. If it's too bitter, I can get you some milk or-"<br/>"No, you got it completely wrong. This is weak beyond weak. Did I annoy you that much at the counter?"<br/>Why was she getting so worked up? Violet tried to calm down - this wasn't such a big deal, she shouldn't take out her frustrations on him.<br/>"I'm sorry, I can get you another one-"<br/>"I have to go home to my siblings now - I really don't have time for this."</p><p>"Um, I can get you something to go, maybe?"<br/>"Fine. Try not to mess it up again, yeah?"<br/>"It wasn't my fault." the boy said, his tone displaying clear annoyance now.<br/>"It's not that hard to make coffee."<br/>"If it's so easy, maybe you should go back there and make it yourself." he muttered, and then his eyes widened as she raised an eyebrow.<br/>"I'm really sorry, okay?" he sighed. "I'm really not that incompetent - this store is colour coded, and I'm not even supposed to work here - someone who... cared got me this job. They usually leave labels on things, but the boss isn't well and hasn't been in all week. So, yeah, I thought I knew what I was doing, but it's probably much easier for you - so if you'd mind pointing out a few things, I can get you an espresso."</p><p>Violet paused, feeling hopelessly guilty.<br/>"I don't see it either." she said quietly after a moment.<br/>"You don't?" he asked in surprise.<br/>"It's hard, isn't it?" Violet lamented, staring at the ground as her voice caught.<br/>"That's an understatement."<br/>"Forget the coffee, I'll just... I'll just go home. Thanks for bearing with me."<br/>"Yeah, same to you." the boy said softly, and Violet nodded and stood up to leave.</p><p>It was so subtle, a bystander might not have noticed it. Their shoulders brushed so lightly that not even they themselves did, until in that second, emanating from her fingertips, a wave of colour began to envelope her surroundings. Everyone said leaves were <em>green</em>, and the plants at the entrance were displaying a hue that had to be green - she knew even if she'd never seen it before. Green, Violet decided in that moment, was the colour of life.</p><p>She whipped back around, her eyes filled with tears, and saw that he was struggling, and failing, to hold them back as well. <em>It was mutual</em>, she thought, relieved. <em>It was mutual. </em>Acting on instinct, Violet threw her arms around him, and he slowly returned her embrace. "We should sit down." she choked out, and he nodded as they took a seat.</p><p>"I could make you coffee now." he laughed tearfully.<br/>"I don't think that's a priority anymore." Violet chuckled.<br/>"No kidding." he said, still laughing, and neither of them said anything for a moment, taking in what had just happened.<br/>"Well, this is ironic." Violet said finally.<br/>"I... don't know what to say."<br/>"Believe me, neither do I."<br/>"It's beautiful." he breathed out, and Violet nodded, tearing up again.</p><p>"Violet." she said after a moment, holding out her hand.<br/>"Quigley." he said, taking it, and Violet didn't want to ruin the moment by telling him she'd read his name off his badge twenty-five minutes ago.<br/>"What do we do now?" she asked, and he shook his head.<br/>"I have no idea."<br/>"Um... I'm working a shift at that pizza place round the block tonight, at seven. You could... come and we'll talk about it?"<br/>"I'll bring the book." he said affirmatively.</p><p>At least one copy of the Colour Book was found in every household. No one knew what yellow or red or purple was when they first saw it, and the Colour Book taught first-seers what they were seeing. It was a sort of tradition for newly found soulmates to look at it for the first time together, and Violet hoped the pizzeria wouldn't be busy that night so they could have such a chance.</p><p>She moved over to the side of the booth closest to the window and gazed out in wonder. "Hey, come over here!" she began, gesturing to the spot next to her. He stood up to join her, sitting beside her and looking over her shoulder. "It's a lovely view." Violet said breathlessly.<br/>"Very lovely indeed." Quigley said, but he was not looking at the view out the window. He was looking beside him, where Violet Baudelaire was sitting. Violet turned to him and smiled, a little confused at first, her cheeks pinking as complete realisation dawned upon her.</p><p>"I really should go - my brother and sister will be waiting for me." she said after a moment.<br/>"So will mine. My shift is just about over - we usually eat together, and try not to keep each other waiting on the days it's our turn to work."<br/>"I'll see you later?"<br/>"Without a doubt."<br/>-<br/>Quigley Quagmire couldn't fall asleep that night. He hadn't wanted to switch the lights off - it was almost as if he feared that if he allowed the room to fill with the black of darkness, he'd wake up to bleakness once more. Giving up hope of giving into sleep, Quigley sighed and turned the lamp on. Taking out his commonplace book, he grabbed a pencil and flipped open the cover, planning to continue sketching a map he'd started the previous day.</p><p>Quigley smiled suddenly as he flipped back to the cover and noted its colour. <em>Purple. Huh, what a coincidence that was.</em></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I promise Soulmate aus aren't the only thing I write - I have so much Quiglet content in my drafts but these are some of my longest and best works, and I'm generally nervous posting anything on here as I feel ao3 standards are somehow super high?? Idk hahaha<br/>I also don't drink coffee so Idk if my descriptions are very accurate but anyway-<br/>In any case, I hope you enjoyed :))</p></blockquote></div></div>
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